I Wanted a Life
by Jaesun Michele
Summary: Kakashi is instructed to gain a suspicious woman's affection and trust to find out whatever he can about her. But, he quickly realizes that his acting is becoming much more real than he had planned. KakashixOC
1. Assumptions

Hey! This is a KakashixOC which I don't know how to explain more of right now...

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own Naruto. If I did, I probably wouldn't be writing fanfiction. _Sigh..._

Thanks & enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter One<br>****-ASSUMPTIONS**-

Kohare sprinted ahead, not once looking back. She didn't bother to shut her eyes from the pelting rain. She didn't bother to think. The only thing she knew was that she had to get away. She didn't stop running for days, not knowing what direction she was going and not caring. She wouldn't cry, not for him, not for herself. She just wanted another start. Another chance. Another life.

Like the Universe answering her wish, the ominous trees cleared away and a grand set of doors decorated with a leaf towered in the near distance.

She stopped when she was in front of them and had to crane her neck to see the entirety of them. There were four guards watching and analyzing her, all male. They stood expressionlessly beside the doors, two on each side. She was not in a patient mood.

She was obviously a ninja - she had a weapons pouch strapped to her thigh and had just been traveling via tree jumping. She waited impaciently for them to speak.

"Where are you from?" His boring and common appearance made him look like someone that would fade into a background and never stand out. Being a guard suited him.

"Kirigakure." She wanted to be as simple and quick as possible since she always felt uncomfortable talking to other people.

"Why are you here?" He looked her up and down, making her feel antsy. The other three guards were silent and stood behind him, as if he was their leader. If she appeared uncomfortable, she knew they would use it somehow to their advantage.

"I want to live here." Her excuse sounded good enough, there were surely plenty of people who would want to stay in such a large village. That is, if the village was as proportianately large as the doors.

She already hated these men. They looked down on her like they were better than her. She knew she could take them all down easily in a couple seconds.

That would probably negate the reason she told them she arrived, though.

"What's your name?" He was getting nosy now.

"Kohare. I don't know my last name," she said, her expression never changing like you would expect it too after saying something so personal. But she wasn't telling the truth, she did know her last name. She had only recently gotten her name back from the Mizukage and it was precious to her. She didn't like talking about it- her past.

She didn't like talking at all.

"Hm…" His eyebrows rose questioningly. It was understandable that he was suspicious: she was a suspicious no-last-name ninja from a suspicious country under suspicious circumstances. You could practically see the gears turning in his head, weighing the pros and cons of opening the doors to let her into the village.

After a minute he yelled down, "I'll tell the ninja at the desk behind this gate that you will be staying in Konoha. Tell him where you are staying when you find a place. If you try anything, I promise you will not get away with it. We will be cautious with you until we can be sure that your intentions are true."

She waved them away and walked through the now slowly opening gate.

The colors and sounds assaulted and amazed her. Kirigakure had always been a drab and very grey place. It was like a prison. Or a mental asylum. Either way, it was the opposite of the brightness here. She could smell the fresh air and hear children laughing. The sky over the village was blue, in contrast to the dark clouds surrounding it. It was like it was protected by a magical barrier.

Birds were warbling and trilling on the roofs of the bright buildings like there was no tomorrow. She wandered the streets, taking in all of the new environment.

It was still light out, so she decided to take advantage of it and start job hunting as soon as possible. It wasn't like she had endless money. Actually, she was pretty much broke. She wasn't thinking about milk money when she ran away. She wasn't one to sit around and lounge, anyway.

She was simply incapable of sitting at a desk or standing behind one for long periods of time and knew it, so she decided to do what she did best. Run around as a lackey for an almighty kage. She briskly walked down a clean road with a ramen stand, making the street smell delicious.

She saw an older man standing in front of the stand, his back facing her. He looked like he was a ninja because he had some sort of forehead protector and carried a scroll on his hunched back.

She wasn't sure where to start looking and so decided to ask him if he knew where a ninja could get a job.

"Sir?" She asked, feeling awkward. She hadn't started a conversation with another human being in...ever.

"Eh?" He turned around, his eyes showing that he was surprised as he smirked.

"I just arrived here – I'm a ninja. Do you know where I can get a job?"

"..."

"..."

"Huh?" He had been too busy looking her up and down and frowning. '_The nerve of him…_' she thought and with that, she kneed him in the stomach. She knew she wasn't very pretty, not that it mattered much. Who would like her anyway?

The old man wheezed and his sandals clacked against the ground as he stumbled backwards. A blonde boy with ramen broth on his face came out of the stand to help him. Kohare turned to leave with a huff, but she only got the chance to take one step.

"Wait!" a feminine voice shrilled. She turned back to see a little pink haired girl running towards her frantically. "I'm sorry about him," she apologized, turning back to frown at the pervert. "You're looking for a job?"

"Yes." It seemed pathetic to be asking a little girl for help, but the strawberry-headed girl had a weaopns pouch at her leg so it was pretty safe to assume she was training to be a ninja.

"Hokage-sama's office is in that big red building," she directed as she pointed to a burgundy edifice in the distance. "He'll give you a job."

"Thanks." Then she turned was on her way.

She was at the Hokage's building in minutes and stepped through the glass doors. She started walking down the only hallway but was stopped by a squeaky voice coming from behind a desk. Apparently, Kohare's visit would have to wait until another day because of a "_very_ important meeting".

Seeing as she had nothing to do for the entire day, she just walked. Judging by the lack of people sleeping on the streets, everyone had a place to stay that night. It shouldn't be difficult for her to find the same.

She walked as slow as she could as she heard mothers calling their kids to come inside for dinner and watched the fireflies dance in front of the twilight background. Everyone here was happy and kind, even if some of them were perverted.

As nice as the people were, it sent Kohare on edge. They were _too_ nice. Why were they so nice? Did they have something to gain from her? Were they plotting some way to have her in their debt? She certainly wasn't as nice. She had done horrible things for her own selfish reasons. She didn't belong here.

Until she found a decent hotel that wouldn't leave her completely broke, she kept walking. She passed shops selling ninja weapons to flowers and houses that looked all the same except for their hues. It was like everyone was in their own little world of rainbows and sunshine. At least compared to where she had just come from. When she approached a hotel that she could afford she got a suite and reluctantly obliged the guard.

She found her way to the gate she had entered in and told the ninja behind the desk where she was staying. Anxious to get into bed, she sprinted back to the hotel through the now-darkness and ran to her suite.

She locked the door, locked the windows, and crashed onto the maroon queen-sized bed without bothering to look around, lying with her arms and legs outstretched like a starfish. It smelled like hotel soap. The shower could wait until the next day.

She planned for the upcoming weeks quickly. Her eyelids were getting heavy. She was going to lay low, get a job, get an apartment, wait until _they_ found her, run, and move onto the next place. The perfect plan.

In between these major events, though, she didn't know what she would do. She certainly had quite a bit of time on her hands. She _did_ know for a fact that she wasn't going to be getting attached, making friends, or – god forbid – falling in love.

It wasn't like she had done any of these things before but it was what she had always been instructed to do. People didn't think she was capable of feelings, anyway and sometimes she didn't either.

Soon it was just too much for her, and she let sleep engulf her.

"_Plea-!" the little girl only had time to say as much before the violent killer slashed her throat._

_Inside, Kohare was screaming the same thing. Her body wasn't obeying her. She didn't want to be murdering children. She couldn't stop her own self as a man she couldn't see the face of watched on and cackled at her doings. Even without seeing his face or hearing his voice, she would have known who it was. _

_She analyzed the bloody scene around her that she had caused. The bluish tint that everything was bathed in because of the sun blocked by clouds, paired with the humid pressure of the air made the landscape feel like some sort of limbo. Between what, she wasn't sure._

_Just then, a little boy in tattered clothes emerged from his position on the rust covered ground and ran at her screaming, "You'll pay!" _

_With the tears and hate of his eyes reflecting in her own, she threw the shuriken into his chest..._

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><p>Please review! Please? Please? PLEASE? sorry... But I appreciate suggestions and constructive criticism.<p>

No worries, I promise Kakashi will be in the next chapter! For more information on when to expect upcoming chapters and whatnot check out my profile page.


	2. Frozen

In case you're wondering, I'm trying to make this at least semi-realistic with the romance and everything but the good stuff will come, never fear.

Have fun!

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>  
><strong>- FROZEN -<strong>

Then she woke up, jolting out of bed. She was sweating and panting and it was already 9 in the morning. Faint light streamed through mahogany curtains.

'_Where am I? Right, Konoha. Tsubaki Hotel. Job hunting.'_ She groggily refreshed herself on what had happened the day before.

She stepped out of the tangled sheets and took a long scorching shower, put her hair up, braided it, and got dressed in the only clothes she had brought – the ones she wore the day before.

Next, she needed to go back to the Hokage's office and get a job. That squeaky receptionist had told her yesterday that they were too busy to see her. She would keep going back there if it killed her. She left her room and headed down the stairs.

Stepping out of the door, the atmosphere of the village took her by surprise all over again. After a swivel of her head she spotted the scarlet building above all of the others and took her time getting there.

In hope of restocking of necessities of living that couldn't be found in the wild, she intruded into the first store she saw. Luckily it was a ninja general store with everything with shampoo to katanas. Kohare bought more clothes similar to the ones she had on. Her navy scoop neck sleeveless shirt and black baggy cargo pants with thick white straps randomly circling the articles weren't hard to match with other pieces of clothing.

Then, she bought a one-shoulder backpack that came with basic survival equipment like rope and extra kunai. She was now officially broke. She stuffed her new clothes into the pack and kept marching on.

When she arrived at the intimidating red building with it's clashing yellow roof she opened the door and walked into the lobby. She spotted the receptionist and stood in front of her desk.

"I need to speak with the Hokage," she said, her words echoing throughout the room.

"May I ask why?" the lady asked, her shrill voice piercing the repeatings of Kohare's words.

"I'm a ninja and I need a job."

"Well…" she scanned a piece of paper and smiled a blindingly white smile. "It seems you've come at a good time. Go down the hallway and it will be the second door on your right."

Kohare wordlessly followed her directions and at the first door on her right, she passed another ninja coming from where she was going. Not taking the time to worry about him, she kept walking until she came to the second door and knocked.

"Come in," a deep voice ordered. She pushed opened the heavy obstacle and entered the sunlit room. Sitting in front of the wallat a single desk in the middle was presumably the Hokage.

"What can I help you with?" he asked pleasantly.

"I came here yesterday. I'm a ninja - I need a job," she said.

"Your name?"

"Kohare. No last name." He looked a bit thrown off for a moment and his brow furrowed, but he quickly regained his composure.

"Where are you from?" he pried.

"Kirigakure." it was the same questioning as yesterday all over again.

"Why did you come here?"

"I wanted to live here." He could sense that she was leaving something important out, but she didn't seem hostile. He wanted to give her a chance.

"I'd be happy to give you a mission to complete but I have to first assess you myself to know what you can handle. You will take a written exam and an abilities exam. Be at the Konoha Academy at 10:30," he demanded.

"Hai," She was already half way out the door.

Right before she was about to leave the building the receptionist shrieked, "Have a nice day!"

Kohare could only barely hide her cringe.

She had about half an hour to be at the academy. Her plan was to walk around until she stumbled across it – it wasn't a very confusing village anyway.

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><p>"<em>I love you," she declared quickly, blushing furiously. <em>

"_I love you to," he said as he looked at her with eyes filled with hope._

_They ran to each other across the meadow and embraced each other, tears streaming down their cheeks. He bent down to kiss…_

'_Who's that?_' Hatake Kakashi was sitting on a bench under a sakura tree reading his book. He could feel a presence he did not recognize. It seemed different somehow than any other he had felt before. Like they weren't even a person. Like they were empty.

He looked up to see a woman walking down the streets of Konoha. The way she was looking around told him she wasn't from around there.

He remembered one of his students, Sakura, asking him about a certain kunoichi…

"_Kakash-sensei!" hollered Sakura as she ran down the street waving at him._

"_Hn?" was all he had to say. It was too late to run now._

"_I met this lady at lunch that I've never seen before! Do you know who she is?" _

_"What? No. A lot of new people come to Konoha all the time, Sakura. You probably won't see her again." Sakura pouted. "I've got to rescue a cat stuck in a tree now," he said and teleported away. He could hear from the other side of Konoha the screech of "LIAR! You just wanted to read your stupid book!"_

The woman was about five and a half feet tall with an athletic build. Her dark hair in a messy high braid with bangs sticking down suggested that she didn't spend much time on it or that she had been rubbing her head on the ground. It was most likely the former. Her eyes that you could only tell were brown in the sun seemed strong and alert, but it didn't appear to fit her age.

She looked to be maybe twenty years old. She looked back at him expressionlessly and he inconspicuously turned back to his book.

He sensed her walk on.

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><p>Kohare found the academy easily. She assumed that the place where there were kids running around outside was the academy, at least. She walked into the ivory building and an average-looking ninja was standing in the center of the lobby. He smiled when he saw her.<p>

"Kohare-san. Hokage-sama told me to expect you. You can call me Iruka and I'll be proctoring the written exam." He waited expectantly for her to say something and when she didn't, he continued. "This is a general exam with questions ranging from simple common sense to advanced battle tactics. You'll have an hour." He explained as he led her into an empty classroom.

He gestured for her to sit down and when she did, he handed her the test and a pencil. It had to be at least fifteen pieces of paper with the front and back sides covered with words and numbers. "Any questions?" He paused. Silence. "Alright. Begin."

The moment Kohare glanced at her paper her heart sunk to her stomach. She hadn't taken a written test in years. The terminology alone was enough to cause her to fail. She had always been a good guesser, and she would only have to hope that it would be enough. The common sense questions were a breeze but she didn't even attempt to understand the more complicated ones.

Before she knew it, Iruka yelled, "Time!"

Her brain was fried. She didn't show her distress, but Iruka sensed it. "Do you want a break?" She reminded him of how Naruto feels after an exam.

"I'm fine," she snapped. '_I don't need anyone else's help._'

Iruka grabbed a clipboard and pencil and began to lead her back outside as he spoke. "Alright. Now for the abilities test. Hokage-sama is going to be watching this portion of the assessment."

"Right." If it was something physical, Kohare could do it. Her energy came back to her and she was ready once again.

They met the Hokage at the training grounds and stood in front of a worn out wooden circle riddled with holes and dents. It was a miracle that the piece of junk was still standing.

"We'll do a simple test of the basics now. Step back as far from the target as you can while still maintaining sharp accuracy, please," Iruka told her. She turned and walked back about forty yards as Iruka and the Hokage looked on in doubt. "We'll do shuriken first, then kunai," he informed her.

Kohare pulled out two shuriken and launched them at the bulls-eye. They hit their mark. She then did the same with two kunai and watched Iruka's jaw drop and the Hokage smile. It looked as if Iruka would drop his clipboard if he didn't start holding it steadily. The Hokage motioned for her to come back to where they stood.

"O-okay," Iruka stammered. "Next Hokage-sama is going to place a genjutsu on you. Enemy ninjas will attack you. There's an endless amount of them and their strength will be steadily and constantly increasing. When you want to quit or just release the genjutsu by interrupting your chakra flow. If you die, you will automatically be brought out of it."

"Right." Simple enough. This was nothing like the test she had taking in Kirigakure.

Iruka formed the needed handseals and sent Kohare's mind to a different world.

The two teachers set Kohare's limp body down in the shade of an oak and waited for her to regain consciousness. Her back leaned against the trunk and faint playful screeches could be heard from the training grounds to the right.

"She's been fighting for two hours now. The ninjas should be well above chuunin strength by now. But, we can't even see what she's doing!" complained Iruka.

"That's why I did it like this."

"What?" he asked, flabbergasted.

"She's hiding something. If we could see her techniques she would be aware that we were watching and might not show her true skill. This way, we can assess her more accurately even if we cannot see her," informed the Hokage.

"Of course…" Iruka only wished he could have realized it sooner on his own. They sunk back into silence and watched the kids in the neighboring fields play with wooden weapons and dramatically pretend to die. The thought that the Hokage was sitting outside of the academy and waiting for Kohare to wake up as an excuse not to do work never crossed Iruka's mind.

One more hour later, Kohare woke up, her breathing labored. Seeing that she was awake, the Hokage and Iruka turned to face Kohare.

"You were in the genjutsu for four hours and nine minutes. The fighting level of the ninjas was just elevating to jounin." Iruka's voice was disbelieving. While he was looking at Kohare in awe, she could only feel contempt. She knew that she could do better but couldn't concentrate and had been killed.

"I'd definitely say you're fighting skills are jounin level at least. But there's much more to being a ninja of Konoha than fighting. I'll dispatch you on a mission I have in mind that should take two to three weeks to complete. You'll go with one other jounin. They will explain the mission to you at another time." Then, the Hokage smiled an almost apologetic smile and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.


	3. Punishments

Thank you much for the review:** Kakashi Nuttcase** and** Lady-KHL**! I really appreciate it - you guys encourage me to write so thanks again!

**DISCLAIMER: **Naruto isn't mine. Despite my dreams. Just kidding... kind of... not really...

Anyway, enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter Three<strong>  
><strong>- PUNISHMENTS - <strong>

The Hokage had said that some other jounin was supposed to fill her in on the mission, so she had nothing to do but wait. She basked in the village and the happiness – it refreshed her. She was taking a walk on a random street when she saw the same man from the day before walking the opposite way as her.

He was reading the same orange book and looked completely engrossed in it. She frowned when she saw the title "Make Out Paradise". She knew it had to be porn. There was the title that helped prove it, the way that the villagers glared at him when he walked by, and the fact that he was entirely consumed by the "literature".

She didn't have anything against porn – she always thought of it as something all males take part in at some point and was therefore inevitable. But, he was reading it in public and she wasn't sure how to react. She knew she had to do something. When they were crossing each other, she gently but firmly took the book from his hands and stopped walking.

She began to read the page and lightly blushed. It disappeared quickly as her embarrassment turned to anger and confusion. Kakashi turned and stood in front of her and tried to get the book back but she kept it out of his reach and continued reading. All she said was, "Porn."

His face was red but he held his hand out and calmly said, "Please give me my book back."

"Porn. You walk around reading porn." Her voice sounded emotionless and she kept reading.

"_Please_ give me my book back." He sounded more forceful this time.

Kohare finally looked at him and stated, "No. You don't even have the decency to read porn in your own home. You don't deserve this book."

"I'll have to take it by force, then." She could tell that his porn meant a lot to him, which wasn't a good thing.

"Try." She turned the page. _'Let's see what he's got...'_

He made a fast grab at the book, but she was expecting him to. She quickly stepped back and his hand only met air. He started moving faster and faster and she kept dodging left, right, ducking, and jumping while still reading. Suddenly they stopped.

Kohare looked down from the book. His hand was cupping the back of her neck. He had reached to the side, planning to curve his arm around but she accidentally moved into his hand. She was only confused. No one had ever touched her in any way before except to hurt her. This situation was entirely foreign.

"Eh… gomen?" he said with his hand still in place. Her eye twitched. '_Who does he think he is?'_ He slowly pulled his hand back and rubbed the back of his neck. She sighed, shut the book, and swiftly punched him. She left him dangling from a tree limb by his feet.

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><p>Kakashi slowly walked back from a meeting with the Hokage. He held in his hands his favorite book, "Make Out Paradise". He was reading another rather steamy part when a soft hand gracefully swiped it up. He turned to face the thief and recognized the woman from the day before. She was reading his book.<p>

He tried to get it back from her but she just moved out of the way and said, "Porn".

He felt extremely embarrassed that a stranger was reading his own porn. He figured that asking first for the book would be the fastest way to get it back. Then, once he got it he would make sure to never cross paths with her again. He requested, "Please give me my book back."

When he heard her say "Porn. You walk around reading porn," with no emotion, he wondered what she was thinking. Most people would give it back, completely embarrassed, or at least start yelling at him.

Since he was the probably older male and she was the younger female, he knew doing anything rash could quickly and easily turn into an arrest for molesting. He tried again. "_Please_ give me my book back." He could feel all of his blood going to his face.

He was surprised when he heard the woman say, "No. You don't even have the decency to read porn in your own home. You don't deserve this book." He knew for sure then that she was not going to simply hand it over.

"I'll have to take it by force, then." He was confident in his abilities.

"Try." This was now a matter of pride for him.

He tried to take it quickly, but she dodged. He tried faster and she dodged. All she did was dodge dodge dodge as he grabbed grabbed grabbed at nothing.

All the while she red his book and he finally understood how others felt annoyed when he read while fighting. Abruptly, she stopped moving. He was confused for a moment when he felt something soft under his hand. It was her neck, and he was holding her like he was going to pull her closer to him. He felt a soft pulse beating rhythmically.

Without thinking he said, "Eh…gomen?" Then he pulled his hand back and rubbed the back of his neck, wary of what she was going to do next.

He saw her sigh, shut the book, and he felt fear like he hadn't in a long time. He saw a fist and then woke up dizzy, hanging from a tree.

He cut himself down from the branch with a kunai he had on him. Next he searched himself and the area for his book. She had taken it. _'Damn. It's gone. What the hell did she do with it?'_ he wondered. He was going to get that book back no matter what. His pride and limited edition copy were on the line.

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><p>When Kohare had left that pervert she headed back to the hotel to get more sleep. This entire village was tiring. She poured herself a glass of water from the mini-kitchen and brought it to the nightstand. She pulled out sweats from the pack she had bought.<p>

Whenever she changed her clothes or took something out, she would use it and put it back. You never know when you might have to make a run for it – she liked to be ready.

She stood in between the nightstand and the bed, facing the bed. She started to lift her shirt up when she recognized the presence from behind her.

"What do you want?" she asked. She didn't stop changing shirts. Her back was to him anyway and she wasn't sure what she was supposed to do. Yet another new situation. She knew most people would be embarrassed, but she wanted to get into some more comfortable clothes. It wasn't like they knew each other well.

"My book, please," he responded, his blush and nosebleed hidden by his mask as she pulled off her shirt. He expected her to stop when he came into the room, but he wasn't complaining.

"How do you know where I live?" she questioned, pulling the fresh, loose shirt over her head.

"I just want my book back." She leaned down behind the nightstand and stood up, her pants now in her hands. The nightstand blocked his view of her from the waist down.

'_Avoiding the question, eh?_' She stepped into the warm, inviting sweat pants, feeling Kakashi's creepy gaze on her. She was starting to regret continuing to change.

Kohare swiveled her head around and looked at him for the first time. In all seriousness she said, "You can have your porn back when you learn to handle it responsibly." She didn't know anything about people, but she couldn't stand the thought of letting someone contaminate an innocent place.

"And you already do?" he said, amused.

"Yes. Please get out of here now." She turned her head to the bed and started pulling the tucked sheets back out from under the mattress.

"Hai, hai. Oh, there's another thing. We're going on a mission tomorrow." Kohare stopped in her tracks.

'_He's _that_ jounin? Damn_,' she thought, still facing towards the bed. '_He dropped the book subject fast. I wonder why he let it go so easily._'

"Meet me at the main gate 9 o' clock tomorrow. I'll debrief you later. Ja ne." and Kakashi disappeared.

What he didn't see was Kohare's eye start twitching. She felt a part of her that had been dormant for a long time stir and suddenly explode. '_That damn ass! He broke into my room, ordered me around and left!'_

Kakashi hadn't ever left. He was watching from a tree outside her room – Hokage-sama's orders.

"_I have a mission for you, Kakashi." The Third said as the door to his office closed. "Yesterday a girl arrived in Konoha. We suspect her of being the killer of the Mizukage," and he opened a file, revealing a picture of the same woman Kakashi had thought had an empty presence. _

_Kakashi gaped. '_Could _that_ woman be the killer of one the strongest ninjas in the world?_' _he_ wondered._

"_I want you to keep an eye on her, Kakashi. She'll be going on the mission with you. If she did kill him I don't know why she would be here, but just in case."_

"_Hai."_

"_We can more accurately test her skills and find out her intentions on this mission. She's definitely a highly trained ninja. You need to get close to her and learn about her, get her to trust you. It's like a seduction mission." _

_Kakashi sweatdropped._

"_This mission is too advanced for the experience level of all of Team 7." Kakashi nodded, understanding that if they were to encounter the killer, the genin wouldn't stand a chance. Plus, they couldn't keep a secret and having them watch him 'seduce' a girl was not something he particularly wanted to happen._

"_You're to go to the Land of Silk to retrieve a bolt of fabric."_

"_Fabric?" _

"_Yes. It is woven from a plant nearly impossible to find and only in the Land of Silk do they know how to weave it. It's a complicated process since its chakra amplifying properties gives it other unusual characteristics. It'll be with a woman called Futaya Sorane, she knows you're coming. Keep a close eye on your charge. If the killer _is_ the girl, I trust you to make the right decision." The last sentence confused Kakashi, but he knew to have faith in the Third. _

"_What more can you tell me about her?" Kakashi asked._

"_Well she matches the description of the killer. As you saw, dark brown hair, dark brown eyes, high braided hair with bangs, about 5' 5", around 20 years old. The girl's name is…" he checked the file. "…Kohare. She already told the gate guards that she didn't know what her last name was." Kakashi pondered how that was possible._

"_She's staying at suite 203 on the second level of the Tsubaki Hotel. I don't know anything about her techniques so be very careful. It will just be you and her on this mission- I think you can handle it." _

"_Hai." _

"_Dismissed."_

Kohare arrived at the gate at noon, her new backpack slung across her shoulder – if it was the Hokage's orders she knew she had to go but that didn't mean she couldn't be late. As she strolled towards Kakashi who was looking as nonchalant as ever, she didn't feel bad at all. She knew that when people were late they should act sorry, but she didn't feel anything. Maybe because first, even though she _was_ three hours late, Kakashi deserved it. He was a pervert. He deserved to be kept waiting. Second, if he looked so bored, he probably didn't care.

Kohare had slept in since she didn't set her alarm. She was planning on using it as an excuse to be late and was happy that it worked. A part of her also wanted to make Kakashi wait as punishment for well… everything.

"Gomenesai," Kohare said, not sounding apologetic at all. She realized then that she didn't know his name, not that she ever wanted to know anyone's name. Names lead to feelings. Scary feelings.

"Don't worry about it. I'm Hatake Kakashi. You? " Kakashi asked, as if reading her mind.

"Kohare." She didn't feel like voicing the excuse that she didn't know her last name and when Kakashi didn't ask about it, she felt relieved. No one had ever not asked her about it before.

"So what's the mission?" Kohare asked curiously.

"I'll tell you later." Kakashi replied. He figured that if she knew what the mission was, she might try to bolt.

She could feel a part of her wanting to pout. "You said you would tell me today."

"I said I would tell you _later_. Not today." Kakashi spoke triumphantly.

'_One day I will kill you, Hatake Kakashi. One day…_' Kohare plotted the assassination as she turned to leave.

* * *

><p>By the time Kakashi had gotten to the gate, it was 11 AM and Kohare was nowhere to be seen. Usually <em>he<em> was the late one.

It worried him a bit, but he knew she could handle it herself and put on his best poker face. When he saw her approaching him he did feel frustrated and suspected that the object of her existence was to be constantly giving him a taste of his own medicine.

"Gomenesai," Kohare said. It didn't seem very sincere to him.

"Don't worry about it. I'm Hatake Kakashi. You? " Kakashi already knew her name, but he still had to ask.

"Kohare." He remembered that the Hokage said she didn't know her last name and so he didn't ask about it. He also figured that always explaining it would get tiring and he needed her to like and trust him.

"So what's the mission?" He had been hoping she would ask that.

"I'll tell you later," he said, suppressing a smile.

"You said you would tell me today." _'That's what you get for making me wait,' h_e thought.

"I said I would tell you _later_. Not today," Kakashi elaborated with smugness.

He watched her back as Kohare walked away and could almost feel the coldness rolling off of her. Getting this woman to like him would be harder than he anticipated.

* * *

><p>I have the rough drafts of the next chapter done already, so expect it soon! It should be done in a week or less - check out my profile page for specifics.<p>

Please rate and review :)


	4. Connections

Just so you know: I pretty much have the rest of the story planned out chapter by chapter so all I have to do is write it.

**DISCLAIMER**: In case you were wondering, I don't own Naruto.

I shall delay you no further!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Four<br>-CONNECTIONS-**

Kohare loved the feeling of the wind through her braided hair. It made her feel like she was free, a new concept. The silence between her and Kakashi didn't feel unusual to her – it wasn't like she had anything to say.

After about 20 minutes of nothing but the wind _whooshing_ around them Kakashi said, "When can I have my book back?"

Kohare figured he was anxious for his porn. '_If you're asking me then I know that you aren't responsible enough for it,_' she thought.

"Not now," she answered.

"You're not very professional," Kakashi mumbled under his breath, barely audible.

"Hm," Kohare decided officially that this man was a child in an adult's body. She would not let him win.

She didn't want to give him the pleasure of turning to look at him, so she kept her eyes looking forward.

* * *

><p>Kakashi could feel the awkward silence in the air trying to suffocate him. Was Kohare feeling this awkwardness? If she was, she wasn't showing any sign of it.<p>

He finally said - to break the silence and because he was still wondering, "When can I have my book back?"

She swiftly snapped, "Not now."

He wanted his book back badly – he missed it. This woman was evil. "You're not very professional," he said quietly.

"Hm," he heard Kohare reply, giving him a much less than satisfactory answer.

He knew he should be annoyed for the insult, but he could only think of it as entertaining.

He didn't expect her to say anything more but she said, "What's the mission?"

"Not now," he replied, exacting his revenge.

All she could say was, "Hph."

* * *

><p>They camped out in a small clearing in the woods. It was well concealed by aspens and about 100 yards from a stream.<p>

"I'm washing up." Kohare left without another word. She spent ten minutes washing herself and her meager clothing.

When she came back there was a small fire and Kakashi standing with his back against a tree. His eyes were staring into space, but she knew that he was aware of her.

He stood up straight and headed towards the direction she came from. "My turn. No peeking," he joked as he gave Kohare an eye smile. She did her best to ignore him.

45 minutes later Kakashi came back with his hair dripping flatly on top of his head. '_Ugh_, _he looks like a wet dog_,' Kohare couldn't help but think. Like he was ascertaining her unsaid statement, he shook his head and water sprayed everywhere, making the fire sizzle and a vein on Kohare's forehead pop out in frustration.

"I'll take the first watch. I have to let my hair dry anyway," said Kakashi, walking over to the tree he had been sitting against before.

"Sure. Wake me up in a couple hours," she answered. She crawled into her sleeping bag. The cicadas wouldn't shut up, like they were purposefully trying to keep her an insomniac.

"You can trust me you know." Kakashi needed to hurry this trust process up. He wasn't getting any younger by letting her ignore him.

"Goodnight, Hatake-san."

'_Ouch_.' He let it go and eventually Kohare fell asleep.

* * *

><p>The next week and a half was like that. He really did try his best to get on her good side, but it was like she didn't even have sides. She was just there and did her job.<p>

They were delayed a couple of days because of wet weather and had to slow down.

Whenever she had to address him, she would call him Hatake-san, even though he told her not to.

"_Kakashi_. Call me Kakashi." He had said after she called him Hatake-san once again. He made sure not to look fed up, but inside, he was burning with frustration.

She just stared back at him and said, "That's alright, Hatake-san." Every time he spoke to her, it was almost as if she had to contemplate every syllable that would come out of her mouth. It was like she had never held a conversation before.

When they finally saw a village in the distance, they were getting sick of each other.

'It's _like she doesn't have any feelings. She'll never trust me. All she must think about is the mission_.'

* * *

><p>'<em>He's worse than a kid. He's an adult kid. All he cares about is his book. I can't believe anyone would wonder why I don't want to use more familiar names<em>.'

The small buildings looked close by, but they travelled for another hour and it didn't look like they were getting much closer.

When they arrived, it was pitch black. They walked through the roads, silently scoping out the area.

"We should rest for tonight. We'll complete the mission tomorrow." It was impractical not to rest at night.

"Isn't there some sort of rule saying you have to tell me what the mission is?" She didn't understand how they could complete a mission if she didn't know what it was. She was finding it hard to withhold her ever growing frustration.

"Nope." She wanted to hurt him like there was no tomorrow.

"Isn't there a rule not to steal peoples' things?"he said, switching the accusations around. Kohare wasn't going to let him win, though.

"Yes, but not when those things happen to be porn belonging to perverts who expose it to innocent people."

"It isn't porn. It is a very popular novel, actually." It was a novel, right? It had… characters and…. words…

Kohare snorted. "Popular with perverts who buy a dozen copies each." Bulls-eye. No response there.

The rest of their little walk was silent. But it was again only awkward for Kakashi. After all, he was walking with a stranger who was keeping his Precious hostage and stabbing him with her all-knowing words.

When they came across an inn they got a room with two beds, of course, and made their way down the hall.

Kohare opened the door to reveal a small room with one little bathroom. It had a one-person shower, a miniscule sink and a toilet. Faint traces of mold were climbing up the corners of the shower and the walls but all in all, it wasn't too bad. The actual room was a bit better. Two twin sized beds had their headboards against the right wall and a desk was against the left wall. The far wall was lined with windows with streaks from being washed improperly.

Immediately, Kohare set her backpack on the near bed and went into the bathroom. She closed the door and Kakashi heard the _click_ of her turning the lock. After a minute of silence, water was running.

Kakashi took her backpack that was innocently placed on the bed and starting looking through it. It must have been in the backpack. Kohare didn't have anywhere else to put it as far as he knew.

His excavation was cut short when he heard the _click _again. He silently zipped it back up, put it where it was laying before, and made himself look relaxed on his bed. Kohare stepped out of the bathroom in a towel, glaring at Kakashi suspiciously. She had a feeling that something was up.

She took the pack, went back into the bathroom, and came out clothed. It reminded him of before, when he watched her change clothes in her hotel room. He hadn't seen anything because of a certain nightstand, but still. Good times.

"I've got the first shift." Kohare was brushing her damp hair and looked like she was ready to stay up half of the night first.

"Hn." Kakashi quickly drifted into a deep sleep as he lay on top of the covers, seemingly fine with the cold. He would shower in the morning.

Kohare wanting time for her hair to dry was one reason she wanted to take the first watch. The other was to look at the book Kakashi treasured so much. She had lighting and time now, so why not? She didn't get a very good look at the thing before – she only read a couple of pages. Maybe there was more to it that she wasn't seeing.

She pulled on the zipper and started rummaging through her things. She couldn't find it. '_It must be at the bottom somewhere…' _It wasn't. Her suspicion started to grow as second after second passed with no results. '_Could he have taken it?_' She dropped her backpack onto the floor with a _plop_ and stepped off of her bed. She leaned down over Kakashi and started examining him.

She lifted her left hand to poke one of the pockets on his jounin vest. She gently lowered her outstretched index finger. She almost made contact.

_WHAM_!

She flew, the cracking noise that came from her chest telling her that she was in no way going to come out of this unscathed. Her back slammed against the door and felt the door knob dig into her lower back. The resounding thud must have been audible throughout the entire building. She tried to regain her breath from the two impacts as quickly as possible. She landed safely and knelt where she was, steadying herself.

As a reflex, Kakashi had kneed her in the chest. Hard.

He hadn't even been fully awake when he sensed something looming over him he automatically protected himself with his knee to their chest. Instinctively, he also had boosted the attack with chakra.

His eye widened when he saw Kohare on the ground, clutching her middle and realized what had happened. He ran over to her and kneeled in front of her.

"Are you alright?" Kakashi was panicking. He just attacked a comrade and hadn't held back.

Through her bangs, she glared at him, pain momentarily replaced by conviction and winced. If looks could kill, he'd be more than dead. He'd be really dead. "Damn you, Hatake. I think you fractured one of my ribs."

"I'm sorry, I-" he starting, trying to help her up.

"I get it. Just… " She was in a very bad mood. Most people would be if they had just been kneed so hard they broke a rib, too.

He could only look on with guilt as she slowly lifted herself up and dropped herself on her bed. Wet strands of hair in her face only made her look like she was in even more pain. It made him feel useless that she was hurting and he could only watch.

He stood next to her bed and knelt over her. In an attempt to examine the damage he had done, he grabbed the edge of her shirt. He didn't want to be useless.

Then there was a hand on his face. It wasn't caressing him. It was holding him viciously.

Kohare shoved the center of her palm right on his nose and her fingers were spanned across the rest of his face. She was fiercely gripping his head, ready to flail him around the room like a ragdoll. In between two fingers his visible eye widened and he froze. She looked mad.

It finally dawned on him what it must have looked like he was doing. His fingers loosened and the little bit of fabric he had lifted touched back down to her skin.

"Be reasonable. I need to check your wound," his slightly muffled voice probably would have made his student laugh, but he was intimidatingly serious.

"Fine." Kohare understood what he was trying to convince her of but didn't write off his perverted character. She retracted her arm and pulled up her shirt to reveal the skin below her bra. He didn't have to examine closely to see the damage that had been done.

There were two bruises: one small but dark on her left lower back from the door knob and the other, huge black-purple on her right chest from his knee. It looked like a black hole and his guilt only grew as he realized that she broke her sixth left rib.

'_I can't do anything right lately. I'm lucky I didn't hurt any internal organs. Who would fall for the person that broke their rib?_'

He had seen plenty of broken ribs in his lifetime, and knew that this clean break would take about four to six weeks before they could get moving. They were stuck in the Land of Silk.

* * *

><p>Please tell me what you think! Thanks!<p> 


	5. Pressures

I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry! I feel guilty for not updating in so long, but I simply lost my burning passion.

I hate it when authors take super long breaks until I can't even remember what the story is about so I'm going to try my best not to do it again.

I reread this story and found some things I want to change. The changes I want won't affect the plot but might slightly alter your views of the characters. I think they'll help the story a lot though so if you want, you can go through the previous chapters. Or not. To each his own/whatever floats your boat.

As a warning, if you don't read the changes you may be a bit confused in future chapters, but not majorly.

I'm not sure if there is anything I can do to make it up to you, but if there is please tell me! [Keep it reasonable. I can't align the stars to form your dog's name or make your baked potato dance a jig - Just an FYI.]

**PS **I decided to start being a beta-reader! Please consider me if your story fits under the categories listed in my beta profile. Thank you!

**DISCLAIMER**: Naruto isn't mine... Did you expect me to say it is? Oh. well... I'm sorry. again...

Carry on...

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Five<br>**- **PRESSURES -**

"I'm fine," Kohare said yet again to the ninja that was still pestering her. It was difficult to breathe, let alone sit up in the bed. She would do it on her own, though.

"Let me help you." On the inside, Kakashi was still overwhelmingly guilty for his mistake of breaking one of her bones the night before. Why did he always act so uncool when he was with her? No matter how he felt, it would be breaking the shinobi code to show it. Plus, he constantly wondered, _'How is she going to fall in love with me now that I've broken one of her bones?'_

"I'm fine." Her eyes were filled with determination, causing Kakashi to remember when he first saw her. He thought she was like an empty cup, void of emotion or morale. He still thought that sometimes, but found himself enjoying watching that emptiness fill up, drop by drop.

Giving in, Kakashi sighed and moved away from the side of her bed as she struggled to maneuver her arms to lift herself as painlessly as possible.

He quickly performed a set of seals and cut his thumb, temporarily surprising Kohare. She realized what he was doing when he slammed his hand on the hardwood floor and smoke billowed from it, clouding the room with white.

She semi-eagerly awaited seeing what his summons would be when she felt a pressure of at least ten pounds directly being pushed onto her broken rib. At first her brain didn't register the pain, but in a split second, tears came to her eyes and she let out a sharp gasp. Something was trying to squeeze the life out of her.

A light sheen of sweat gathered on her face. She thought she was going to black out. The weight made her want to scream, but she was trained to hold it in. She couldn't even think straight, her mind was so clouded by pain.

It felt like she would stop breathing and her agony wasn't ceasing. Milliseconds were hours.

All of the smoke finally cleared and she looked to see what was causing her so much pain. A small brown dog with a Konoha forehead protector and blue jacket looked back at her.

When the tortured expression on Kohare's face came into view and he connected it with the confused dog on her chest he sprang to action.

"Pakkun! Get off her!" He tried desperately to make Pakkun get off Kohare's hurt self using frantic gestures, but he had too much respect for the nin-dog to treat him like a pet dog.

"Oh! Kakashi! There you are!" The canine was continuing to miss the crucial fact that Kohare felt like her insides were on fire.

She snapped, her attempted nonchalant charade disappearing.

"Off." Her voice lowered to a dangerous tone that could make any ninja, no matter how tough or strong, want to huddle in a dark corner and never come back out.

She was aware in the back of her mind that nin-animals should be treated like equals, but she would have threatened anyone sitting on her broken rib.

Normally, whenever someone tried to treat Pakkun like a mindless pet, he would waste no time in teaching them the extreme differences between them.

He would have done the same to Kohare if her voice hadn't made him flinch; in addition to that when he turned to her and looked into her eyes her murderous glare sent shivers down his little spine.

Even Kakashi was alarmed when Pakkun obeyed and hopped onto the floor.

But, no one could have taken into account that the force of his back feet pushing off of her for power tempted her to kill the dog. The pitter patter of dog pads on the floor masked the grating of her teeth.

When the weight was gone, she could breathe again. She dropped her head back onto her pillow and closed her eyes. Her arms lightly cradled her chest in a futile attempt to piece herself back together.

"Sorry…" Pakkun looked apologetically at the exhausted face that he now knew he didn't want to see mad ever again.

She ignored him, focused on the retreating pain.

"I need your help, Pakkun." Standing at the foot of the bed, Kakashi got Pakkun's attention. "This is Kohare," he said, gesturing to her. "Kohare, this is Pakkun." She nodded. "We're in the Land of Silk on a mission and she broke her rib -"

"No – you broke it for me." Kakashi flinched as she commented. He had hoped she would leave that part out.

"I'm sorry." He quietly spoke, his eyes not meeting hers.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." She felt a little bad for him since she knew that he felt guilty, but he _was_ guilty. "Sorry" couldn't heal her.

Turning his attention back to Pakkun, he continued. "We'll have to stay here for about a month until she can travel. I need you to relay the message to Hokage-sama. Tell him the mission will still be completed."

"Yes!" Pakkun bounded off through the window, leaving silence in his stead.

Kohare lifted her hands from her chest and placed them on either side of her. Once again she tried to sit herself up, the pain she was failingly trying to hide obvious. Kakashi had enough.

"I can do it." Kohare still protested as Kakashi walked to her and placed one of his hands on her back.

Looking her straight in the eyes with his own determination burning in them he responded, "No. You can't."

She gritted her teeth and looked away as she reluctantly accepted her defeat. _'I don't even have pride now_.' At the moment, she hated herself although she knew that she couldn't do anything on her own. She was aware of how ill-experienced she was at asking for help.

Kohare let him snake his arm to her farther shoulder and hoist her up, the pain shooting through her. It passed quickly this time, and Kakashi left to his own bed.

"Thank you," Kohare quietly spoke as she faced away from him.

"That's what comrades are for," he responded, eyes wide. " I'm keeping guard tonight," he added as fatigue overtook her before she could hear the last word of his sentence.

* * *

><p>Kakashi awoke to heavy breaths. On the other side of the run-down room, Kohare was panting, her face tilted up, contorted in pain. She turned and looked him in the eyes, her own trying to tell him not to pity her.<p>

"There's nothing you can do to help," she spoke steadily. Those words were the honest, blunt truth, and Kakashi knew it. '_Why can't I be better at healing?' _crossed his mind.

He lifted himself off from the top of his bed and after taking a quick shower, told her that he was going to complete the mission.

"What's the mission?" she asked him. '_She's persistent_,' he thought as he kept inching towards the door.

"Bye!" he called, and was out the door.

* * *

><p><em>'I'm definitely killing him later. I will break all of his ribs, make that dog sit on <em>him _and then I'll kill him.'_ These thoughts are what kept her mind occupied as she seethed and went slowly insane from being bedridden.

* * *

><p>Just as the sun began setting on the small town that they were staying at, a bored-looking Kakashi strolled through the door with the bolt of fabric wrapped in a cloth sack and under his arm. That is, he was bored-looking until he met her glare.<p>

"What?" he asked, confused. _'What have I done this time? I'm supposed to get her to fall in love with me. I should step my game up.'_

"Hatake-san, I've been sitting here for twelve hours and you come back and say 'what.' " She spoke with more emotion than she had before.

_'She looks like she's going to start slamming her head against the rickety desk repeatedly if I don't find a way to stop her.' _His mind searched for the safest thing to say.

"I brought food," he stated, but it sounded more like a question. Kohare seemed to be contemplate his response and how she should react, until she nodded and seemingly let him off the hook.

Kakashi threw her a metal fork from the suite's kitchen and the teriyaki chicken box followed it. They ate on their beds, the silence interrupted by the occasional tap of a fork being set down on the ledge of the container or a creak of their bed as they shifted positions.

A question that had bothered him during the day brought itself up again as they were finishing up. "Kohare? Why were you trying to poke me last night?"

"I was checking if you had _Make Out Paradise_ in one of your pockets," she said flatly.

A terrifying thought dawned on Kakashi. "You didn't know where it was? You didn't... lose it did you?"

"No I did not. Let it go, Hatake-san since you aren't going to be getting it back anytime soon," the her voice icy. The truth was, she had found it in one of the side pockets of her pack that day.

He thought it was in the best interest of his well being that he did not say another word.

* * *

><p>Call me mean, but I like ending with cliffhangers. I don't know if I should say sorry or not since there isn't one for this chapter, but oh well. I'm sorry if you like them but I'm happy if you don't.<p>

Please let me know if there is any Mary-Sue going on or any OoC. It gets hard to tell when you're the one writing it.

Happy 11/11/11 !


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